Bel Air arts event interferes with worship services at St. Margaret [Letter]

A pleasant, sunny day brought thousands of people to Shamrock Park on Sunday for the 48th year of Bel Air's Festival for the Arts. (MATT BUTTON | AEGIS STAFF)

Letter to The Aegis

Editor:

The answer to the question posed by your cartoon of Friday, Sept. 13 is, "NO, I do NOT love the Bel Air Festival for the Arts."

Why do I not love it? Simple: Because it disrupts the worship life of my parish, St. Margaret, located across the street from the park where the festival is held.

It's bad enough that practically all the Lee Way parking parishioners use for four Masses on Sundays is unavailable because of the festival; but to make matters worse, many people attending the festival demonstrate a complete lack of common courtesy by invading the parish parking lot to dump their cars and wander around the festival for hours, denying the parish what little parking is available on their lot.

A number of years ago my wife and I raised this inconsiderate behavior with such a driver, who effectively flipped us the bird and strolled off to the festival. It has gotten so bad that the parish has to advise parishioners to attend Mass on Saturday, or at the St. Mary Magdalen mission on Churchville Road.

In fact, I was greeted at the mission by a fellow parishioner who exclaimed, "Happy Stay-Away-From-Bel-Air Day!"

I am not impressed that the festival is a good neighbor at all. It would be better if they found another location.